


The Christmas Spirit

by besselfcn



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas Party, First Meetings, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 14:35:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17123207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/besselfcn/pseuds/besselfcn
Summary: Jack Morrison’s annual holiday party is the police department’s most anticipated event.[Written for the R76 Secret Santa Free For All 2018]





	The Christmas Spirit

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gizah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gizah/gifts).



> The Prompt: _AU. Old Jack as a retired cop or something and he hangs out with the young cast and they try to pair him up with Gabe but they hate each other at first sight. It's Christmas so throw some magic and making them work together to save something or someone._
> 
> The Result: The first half of this prompt, I tried to fulfill. The second half felt longer than I was able to do justice here, but it is on the table for anybody to scoop up and devour!
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

“No.”

“ _Jack._ ”

“No. Absolutely not.”

“Jack.  _Jack_. It’s  _Christmas_.”

Jack stares at Lena, with her big doe eyes and her whole body leaned over the kitchen island so far he thinks her feet must be off the ground. “I don’t see what the holiday has to do with refusing to be set up on a blind date with-- _whoever_ this guy is.”

Lena hops up and catapults herself fully onto the island, knees tucked up into her chest. “I told you,” she says, and swipes a cookie that she bites halfway into before Jack can remind her those are  _for the holiday party only_. “He’s an ex-Marine. He’s the new head of Narcotics. He’s got, like, these massive muscles, arm’s as big as my head, right? He might be bigger than you, even.”

Jack swats at her with his kitchen towel; she catches it before he even makes contact. Still as fast as he remembered.

“So,” Jack says, sweeping the remaining cookies into a tupperware for safety, “you all back in Homicide want to set me up with a guy with huge muscles and likely combat trauma. Is that all I am to you?”

Lena’s unfazed. “He’s also hot.”

Jack narrows his eyes. “You wouldn’t know.”

“Oi!” she laughs, placing a hand over her heart. “I have it on  _very good authority_  that he’s absolutely gorgeous.”

Ah.

They’re teaming up on him.

“Jesse McCree?” Jack sighs.

Lena grins.

This is going to be harder to get out of than he thought.

\---

 **Lena Oxton [22:39]**   fiiiiiiiiine, you don’t have to go on a date with him!!!!!!!

 **Lena Oxton [22:39]**   but!!!!

 **Lena Oxton [22:39]**   i invited him to your holiday party so you have to talk to him there at least

 **Lena Oxton [22:39]**   open invitation right!!!!!

 **[22:43]**   you are a menace.

 **Lena Oxton [22:43]**   :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

\---

Jack Morrison’s annual holiday party is the police department’s most anticipated event.

A few years back, after the explosion, he’d turned his severance package from the police department into a house with too many rooms, and the settlement from the city into land with too many acres. It reminded him, as much as it could, of home--the wide open plains of Indiana, the family homestead he’d been raised in.

But there’s not much of anyone around most days to fill the rest of the rooms. His old trainees drop by from time to time--Lena more often than he anticipated, Jesse hardly ever, Genji mostly by video conference now that he’s left the force. And his family comes by when they can, but they’re busy with their own lives. Settled down.

So now, with a big open house and no one to cook for, he opens his doors to his former place of employment every December to try to fill the space.

It works almost  _too_  well most years--people flood his house, with baked goods and Christmas dishes and so much fruitcake that he thinks it must be a joke but he tries to take a slice of each one anyway, out of spite. He spends the entire party on his feet, trying to play host, barely enough time to catch up with old friends between all the drinks he pours and food he serves.

He’s just managed to find a moment of peace in some long-forgotten corner of his house when he hears footsteps headed his way. He takes a deep breath, puts on his host-face, and turns to smile--

“Nice house,” says this man he’s never met before but who he, unfortunately, recognizes. “Can see why the kids are trying to set us up, though.”

Jack sputters.

So _this_ is Gabriel Reyes, ex-marine, muscles as big as Lena’s head,  _absolutely gorgeous_  according to Jesse McCree--and, well, it’s not an inaccurate description. He’s not quite Jack’s height, but he’s close, and he looks like he could bench press both their weight without breaking a sweat. Deep brown skin with few pockmarks despite his age, but deep gouges carved into his cheeks from years and years past. Hands that look rough with years of wear.

And a forest-green christmas sweater with a reindeer pom-pom on the front.

“Oh?” Jack says, unsticking his tongue from the roof of his mouth. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Gabriel shrugs and grins, gesturing around. “You know. This place is… it’s nice, for the party. But I can tell it’s pretty damn spartan without all the Christmas decorations.”

Oh, so  _this_  is who Jack’s recruits thought he’d want to go on a date with. A condescending asshole. Ringing endorsement.

“It’s fine,” Jack says, although even as he says it he glances around and mentally strips the walls of the decorations. And then he’s left with.... what? White walls, minimal furniture, most of it picked up from a surplus store. A bedroom that’s got a bed and a weight machine and nothing else. “I think it looks fine.”

“Oh,” Gabriel says. He tilts his head. “Mm.”

“ _Mm_?” Jack repeats. “What’s  _mm_?”

Gabriel shrugs. “Nothing.” He smiles. “Like I said. Nice party.”

Jack opens his mouth to say something, anything-- _I can’t believe they thought this was a good idea_  or  _host your own party, then_ or  _you didn’t even introduce yourself, are you that self-centered you just assumed I knew?_ \--when there’s a crashing sound from the kitchen.

“Oops!” Lena shouts. “It’s alright! Sorry, sorry, I’ll fix it!”

“I’d better,” Jack says, just as Gabriel says, “I’ll see you around.”

Jack scowls.

 _See you around_ , Jack thinks as he leaves to see which of his plate sets Lena’s broken now.  _Yeah fucking right._


End file.
